Anywho, this month’s tech-focused blog post deals with four little pieces that have been of note during the month of April. Enjoy!

Decapitation

An exciting little project: removal of a METI HPS head. The HPS being used in our simulated operating room has a very messed up face: a tear from the corner of his mouth, some stains and lots of general grime. While it is still under warranty (just a few more weeks…no renewal possible for this old unit), I decided to get his face replaced. This requires a trip to Sarasota, FL and some tender care from METI Customer Support.

Ryan performs a decapitation on a METI HPS.

While I was a little apprehensive before starting the task, it turned out to be fairly simple. All the tubes have quick-release connections and are clearly labeled at both ends: esophagus, bronchi, eye control, etc. The only trick was disconnecting his spine: I got a tip from METI’s Ben Walker to detach the spine at the base of the skull, not the neck. I did need to hunt around campus for the correct size allen wrench; thanks a bunch to Elaine and the good folks in ITS. Then, with time and patience (the close quarters only allow for about 120 degrees rotation before you have to reseat the wrench), I was able to perform a successful Mortal Kombat finishing move. Get Over Here!

Ryan poses with the liberated cranium.

Control Room

One of the joys of being the technical head of the simulation program here at UNE is the opportunity to reassess our operations and then go about refining our lab’s systems. For the past year, I have felt frustration with the layout of the control rooms; in particular, the control room that doubles as my office.

It gets crowded easily in here.

The difficulty comes with the multi-function nature of the space: sometimes it is just an office where I program, cut video and eat lunch; other times it is chock full of people running a scenario (myself, faculty, actors, etc). When being shared by multiple people, we are constantly getting in each others’ way: a beverage blocks the mouse I need to use, I have to squeeze past someone to get a microphone, everyone’s backpacks/purses are tripped over. So I wanted to figure out a way to consolidate my systems and create a separation of “tech space” and “guest space.”

Luckily I had the time to rearrange my multiple computer systems and the money to purchase a wall mount for a monitor. By moving stuff up and over, I was able to make my technician space and a public space clearly defined. Now, bags can go under the desktop or on the hooks mounted on the wall and faculty notes can be organized on top.

Ah, much better. Cleanup creates space for our guests to occupy and Ryan can now run all systems from the far end.

Moulage

For UNE’s Annual Spring Symposium, CSP was called on to help create and record several video vignettes relating to veterans’ health issues. One of the vignettes focused on a soldier with an IED-related arm injury. Cynthia and I needed to doctor the actor’s arm up for the videotaping, but did not want to spend a long time on the project. We chose to use a Laerdal rubber burn skin:

Does this gross you out? It grosses my wife out.

Intended for use on our SimMan, this piece easily slipped onto the actor’s hand. We then wrapped the rubber hand and the actor’s forearm in gauze, securing everything in place and adding that clinical touch. Here it is in action:

Uh, you might wanna have someone look at that...

3G

Lastly, exciting news! We received approval to purchase SimMan 3G a month or so ago (which I believe Cynthia mentioned previously on these pages) but we have now learned that he is on his way! While offering all the features of our current SimMan, 3G has several unique additions, the most obvious being his lack of wires…we get to go mobile with our adult simulation scenarios. 3G also brings a simple, quick to set up fluid system to our program: he’ll bleed, cry, foam at the mouth and sweat at the drop of a hat. Look for an upcoming announcement of Mr. 3G’s welcoming party!

Surgery simulation happening live with audience up very close. (IMSH meeting-Phoenix, AZ. 2010)

Maine Medical's Anesthesia residents working in the simulated PACU.

Orienting the MNA students with Professor Lucy Bauer.

SimMan in a temporary location so more students can get involved at once.

Well, as usual I haven’t been able to blog as often I would have liked to. That’s because we have been busier than ever. In fact in the last two years we’ve done 33 percent more simulations than the previous year.

So Cynthia Morris and I have learned to do what we do more efficiently and also have tried to empower our users to do what they do even better.

Instead of going on and on like usual, I will let our pictures from the last two months do the “talking” for me. Enjoy.

Thanks for tuning in and check out the new “DubLab” widget I have in the right column. This is an excellent internet radio station and all around awesome independent music resource. A true non profit station with no acommercials and tons of diversity. Sublime, sexy, strange, strong and solid. I listen to it every day.

Todd

Cynthia Morris moderating and presenting at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare(IMSH 2010) film series.

SimMan in a specially set up suite for the MNA students. (Who's that guy on the screen?)

Pedi Hal at the Waterboro science night. He was a hit with the kiddies!

Last Thursday and Friday the Clinical Simulation Program and the Laerdal Medical company hosted a Simulation Users Network meeting at our facility. It was a great success as simulationists from all over New England took part in the activities and interactions.

Dr. Bowe during the debriefing with residents to his left.

Tara Landry of Laerdal did a wonderful job pulling the pieces together and supplementing what Cynthia and I were able to rile up with our folks here at UNE and in Southern Maine. It was so great to see so much simulation cooperation. We’d like to especially thank Tara Landry, Chris Scott, Shaun McGovern, Steve Ospina and Lisa Timmons of Laerdal. You guys are quite a team.

And the simulation team from Concord Hospital – Kevin Drew, Christopher Fore, Colleen Rutherford and Marc Desgroseilliers should also be commended for an excellent live OB simulation. We look forward to coming to their center soon!

SUN Attendees oohed and aaahed when the ambulance pulled up with SimMan 3G!

Dr. Chris Bowe of Maine Medical Center’s Emergency Residency Program (along with his residents Hamilton Wells MD and Elizabeth Buyers MD) coordinated with Dawne-Marie Dunbar of UNE Nursing and Patrick Underwood of the SMCC paramedicine program to present a live ED simulation. It was quite exciting! Oh and special thanks to SimMan 3G! He really got run through his paces and passed with flying colors!

Many of the attendees were inspired by the different activities and sessions that were offered. Laerdal gave detailed training on the HeartCode system, VitalSim packages and also offered lots of trade tricks for making moulage, programming SimMan, replacing parts in simulators and they also showed how to navigate their various systems and online databases.

A multidisciplinary simulation in process!

Ouch! Part of the moulage presentation.

Cynthia in “Welcome” mode.

Shaun and Steve Ospina during “Under my Hood” session.

Steve Nelson showing users how to do moulage.

Tara prepping 3G for some action.

A nursing roundtable discussion.

It’s alive! 3G- The most realistic simulator on the market!

SUN Attendees oohed and aaahed when the ambulance pulled up with SimMan 3G!

Chris Scott teaching Vital Sim programming tricks.

Class room view of the OB simulation.

Shaun McGovern getting down and dirty with SimMan’s innards.

Steve Poole and me being technical geeks.

Emergent OB simulation in progress.

Pre sim planning.

Happy simmers watching the live ED simulation!

Dr. Bowe during the debriefing with residents to his left.

Concord Hospital gang debriefing.

*I will be editing the ED simulation case into a movie presentation for future case study review and possible submission to the Society for Simulation in Health Care’s 10th anniversary meeting this January in Phoenix Arizona.

Cynthia Morris took all the pictures and also created the “CSP Virtual Tour” which you can view up at the top right of this blog!